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Phase Transitions

Phase Transitions

Whether solid, liquid, or gas, a substance's state depends on the order and arrangement of its particles (atoms, molecules, or ions). Particles in the solid pack closely together, generally in a pattern. The particles vibrate about their fixed positions but do not move or squeeze past their neighbors. In liquids, although the particles are closely spaced, they are randomly arranged. The position of the particles are not fixed—that is, they are free to move past their neighbors to...

Phase Transitions: Melting and Freezing

Phase Transitions: Melting and Freezing

Heating a crystalline solid increases the average energy of its atoms, molecules, or ions, and the solid gets hotter. At some point, the added energy becomes large enough to partially overcome the forces holding the molecules or ions of the solid in their fixed positions, and the solid begins the process of transitioning to the liquid state or melting. At this point, the temperature of the solid stops rising, despite the continual input of heat, and it remains constant until all of the solid is...

Phase Diagram

Phase Diagram

The phase of a given substance depends on the pressure and temperature. Thus, plots of pressure versus temperature showing the phase in each region provide considerable insights into the thermal properties of substances. Such plots are known as phase diagrams. For instance, in the phase diagram for water (Figure 1), the solid curve boundaries between the phases indicate phase transitions (i.e., temperatures and pressures at which the phases coexist).

Phase Transitions: Sublimation and Deposition

Phase Transitions: Sublimation and Deposition

Some solids can transition directly into the gaseous state, bypassing the liquid state, via a process known as sublimation. At room temperature and standard pressure, a piece of dry ice (solid CO2) sublimes, appearing to gradually disappear without ever forming any liquid. Snow and ice sublimate at temperatures below the melting point of water, a slow process that may be accelerated by winds and the reduced atmospheric pressures at high altitudes. When solid iodine is warmed, the solid sublimes...

States of Matter and Phase Changes

States of Matter and Phase Changes

The internal energy of a substance—the total kinetic energy of all its molecules and the potential energy of their associated forces—depends on the strength of the intermolecular forces in the condensed phases and the pressure exerted on the substance. The internal energy of a substance is the highest in the gaseous state, the lowest in the solid state, and intermediate in the liquid state. Phase transitions are caused by changes in physical conditions, such as temperature and...

Phase Changes

Phase Changes

Phase transitions play an important theoretical and practical role in the study of heat flow. In melting or fusion, a solid turns into a liquid; the opposite process is freezing. In evaporation, a liquid turns into a gas; the opposite process is condensation.
A substance melts or freezes at a temperature called its melting point and boils or condenses at its boiling point. These temperatures depend on pressure. High pressure favors the denser form of the substance, so typically, high pressure...

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Related Experiment Video

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Orientational Transition in a Liquid Crystal Triggered by the Thermodynamic Growth of Interfacial Wetting Sheets

Orientational Transition in a Liquid Crystal Triggered by the Thermodynamic Growth of Interfacial Wetting Sheets

Published on: May 15, 2017

Interaction-Induced Topological Phase Transition at Finite Temperature.

Ze-Min Huang¹, Sebastian Diehl¹

¹Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of Cologne, 50937 Cologne, Germany.

Physical Review Letters

|February 21, 2025

Summary

We found that topological phase transitions can occur in interacting quantum matter at finite temperatures, driven by defects and thermal activation. This transition is observable in quantum systems like ultracold atoms.

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Last Updated: May 26, 2025

Orientational Transition in a Liquid Crystal Triggered by the Thermodynamic Growth of Interfacial Wetting Sheets

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Published on: May 15, 2017

Phase Diagram Characterization Using Magnetic Beads as Liquid Carriers

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Methods of Ex Situ and In Situ Investigations of Structural Transformations: The Case of Crystallization of Metallic Glasses

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Published on: June 7, 2018

Area of Science:

Condensed Matter Physics
Quantum Matter Physics

Background:

Symmetry-protected topological phases are typically studied in the absence of interactions and at zero temperature.
Understanding topological phenomena in interacting systems at finite temperatures is crucial for quantum technologies.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate topological phase transitions in interacting quantum matter at finite temperatures.
To identify the mechanisms driving these transitions and their observable signatures.

Main Methods:

Combined numerical and analytical approach.
Studied a one-dimensional Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model with Hubbard interactions.
Analyzed a quantized, nonlocal bulk topological order parameter.

Main Results:

Demonstrated topological phase transitions in interacting quantum matter at finite temperatures.
Identified defect-driven transitions enabled by interaction and thermal activation.
Observed localization of topological zero modes by defects, leading to the vanishing of the order parameter.

Conclusions:

Finite-temperature topological transitions lack thermodynamic signatures but are observable in controlled quantum systems.
The phenomenon reflects the loss of topological edge modes at a critical temperature.
Findings are relevant for ultracold fermionic atoms in optical lattices.